On-site domestic wastewater treatment system using shredded waste plastic bottles as biofilter media: Pilot-scale study on effluent standards in Bhutan

In this study, a 1000 L/d capacity one-off on-site wastewater treatment system was operated for over a year as a pilot alternative to the conventional on-site treatment as currently used in urban Bhutan. An up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) was used for blackwater treatment (to replace septic tank followed by an anaerobic biofilter (ABF) (to replace soak pits) for the treatment of a mixture of greywater and UASB effluent. Shredded waste plastic bottles were used as the novel biofilter media in the ABF. During a yearlong operation, the pilot system produced a final treated effluent from ABF with average BOD5 28 mg/L, COD 38 mg/L, TSS 85 mg/L and 5 log units of Escherichia coli. These effluents met three out of four of the national effluent discharge limits of Bhutan, but unsuccessful to meet the Escherichia coli standard over a yearlong operation. Further, process optimisation may enable more significant Escherichia coli removal. An economic analysis indicates that the total unit cost (capital and operating expenditures) of this alternative wastewater treatment system for more than 50 users range between USD 0.27-0.37/person/month comparable to USD 0.29-0.42/person/month for the current predominant on-site system, i.e., septic tanks. This pilot study, therefore, indicates that this wastewater treatment system using shredded waste plastic biofilter media has high potential to replace the current conventional treatment, i.e., septic tanks, which are often overloaded with greywater and discharging effluents which does not meet the national standards.

Automated summary

This study utilized a 1000 L/d capacity one-off on-site wastewater treatment system as an alternative to the conventional treatment in urban Bhutan, achieving national effluent discharge limits for most parameters but falling short in Escherichia coli removal. The economic analysis showed that the alternative system could be cost-effective for over 50 users compared to the current predominant on-site system.